Telephoning
No secret that I don’t bond well with phone. To hear a phone rings means there is someone who needs to speak to you urgently and it usually means there’s something you urgently need to do.
Anyway, during the last couple of months I’ve tried bettering my attitude towards the phone, having found out that it really does play an important part in your life. You could lose friends, a job, opportunities - you name it - if you treated your phone badly.
OK., now that we’ve done with the part that would make me look and sound smart and sophisticated, here’s what I want to know… How do you answer a phone call?
It’s simple, I know but now that I have started religiously taking every call that comes through my cell, I’ve noticed that people do have different ways of taking a call or starting a conversation.
There’s my cousin who has no manner whatsoever; calling me at 6 in the morning…! when he knows perfectly well I won’t be answering because I won’t be there because I’ll be busy sleeping! And no, he’s never learned to say Hello, he’ll just roll on and say, "Hey, B** (that’s my childhood nickname, about which you’ve got no business finding out), gw mau ke PeHa nih, ikut yuk!"
If it’s me who calls, he’ll say something like this, "B**! Kenapa?" Huh, like I’ve never called him… well, it’s kind of true. Hehehe. I don’t call people much.
It’s true. All of my outgoing calls are strictly business, nothing personal. See for yourself. Dialled Number List: Bakmi KM (that’s the Chinese Food delivery), ULTRA VCD Rental, the laundry, McD and the office. All business. I am a serious person. Ha.
Well, OK. there’s a record of an outgoing call to Lydia but that was because her number was listed as a missed call. Just returning her call, which was made because she wanted to know which bus to take to Citos. Again, strictly business.
My sis Ephi seldom calls, she usually SMS so when she does call it’s usually something important and urgent. Hers is the only call I take even if I know it’s urgent and usually means there’s something to be done. The last time she called, she was at the supermarket I think, wanting to buy Mom some lip balm. "Ey, kamu kasi Mama apa tuh, yang untuk bibir kering? Doi suka banget, minta dibeliin lagi."
"Vaseline, beli yang pot gede; hemat, tahan lama en ampuh!"
"OK., thanks." End of call.
Ayu, meanwhile, despite being a student who is generally short of cash, takes time with her greetings, "Hallo…? Ce? Ada di mana?"
I do notice that a lot of people talk a mile a minute on their respective cell phone on the account that phone credits cost you a lot… of money. Well, I don’t know how many phone calls they make everyday but I never bother with such things. Especially if the phone calls are something quick like ordering food or cancelling an appointment or asking one short question.
If I call someone, I talk the way I talk face-to-face and it never makes a dent on my phone credit. Call time comes down to 3 or 4 minutes and that’s all.
(If you’re stupid enough to want to call your significant other on cell phone, well, I can’t help you there.)
Anyway, back to making and taking phone calls. I used to answer calls with, "Yeah." Unbelievable, I know. As in, "Yeah, yap away - I’m listening." Ever since I became a teacher and there are lots of calls from unidentified numbers which turn out to be a student, I cleaned up my act fast. No more Yeahs, it is now a soft, polite Hello…? As in Hello, can I help you?
It’s different in Lydia’s case though. When I see her number flash on my screen, it’ll be, "Hei… Tante! Apa kabar kos-kosan?" in a vulgar, loud voice only Ambonese can manage. She’ll do the same, "Ahoi, Ibu Guru, bagaimana kabar murid-murid ganteng?" (Did you notice that none of us asks about each other?)
Different callers aside, one rule still sticks: No phone calls will be answered before business hours, which is in accordance to the office hours, my office hours: 11 AM. Although well… I’ve got a weak spot for handsome guys, more’s the pity. I once answered a phone call at 10.58 AM on the basis that the caller is a good looking guy.
Answering calls at the office? Well, just like our teaching methods in ILP, phone-answering at the office also has a standardized procedure. If the caller asks for female teacher, you put them through, because most of the time, female teachers are always available at their respective desk.
If the caller asks for one of male teachers, here’s the procedure: First, check if the teacher in question is at his desk. If yes, holler for him to get his *ss down to the phone desk. If no, choose one of the following:
"Maaf, Mr Aries-nya lagi luluran, bisa saya catat pesennya?"
"Aduh, maaf, Mr Andri lagi creambath. Mau titip pesan?"
"Mr Zaki lagi nyuci piring, mau nitip cucian juga ya?"
Hwahaha. Poor Zaki, always the butt of all jokes. Sorry, ‘ki, it’s irresistible. Anyway, it’s Lebaran so you cannot pout or sulk.
To those of you who celebrate it, Happy Lebaran Day, please forgive me for all the faults I’ve done.
